" The economic crisis we are experiencing is both the announcement and the consequence of a great historical transit: the beginning of a new era in the history of humanity." Framework presentation of the PSOE 1 October 2011.
Self-control as a basic discipline of the entrepreneur
I consider self-control as a basic discipline for any businessman and manager. With its expansion we can create the results that matter most to us. We approach our goals as a creative endeavor, like an artist tackles a work of art or an elite athlete preparing for a world championship. They do so by dedicating themselves to incessant self-training –self-coaching–, to continuous learning.
The extraordinary thing, although few people take it into account, is that this vision only depends on oneself.
We have the power to claim, change or expand our vision and, therefore, our desired project.
Self-control is approaching our goals creatively. It is the purpose of Self-coaching or Coaching with oneself.
People with a high level of self-control have a special sense of vision, they progressively transform it into a vocation. If, in addition, they have a systemic perspective, they see the current reality as an ally and not as an enemy.
They learn to perceive the forces of change and to work with them instead of resisting.
They believe, as Peter said, that the most effective way to successfully govern change is to create it. They see it as an opportunity rather than a threat. They feel connected to other people and to life itself. They feel part of a larger creative process that they can influence without unilateral control.
What is the essence of self-control?
Two key questions constitute the essence of self-control:
-Do you clearly know the project that is important to you?
-Do you have a clear awareness of your current reality?
Creative tension diagram
How many times have you spent time dealing with problems that create a blurry and imprecise vision of the project you really want?
The second is another focus that helps you continually see your current reality more clearly.
How many times have you gotten stuck in counterproductive relationships insisting on pretending that everything was going well? When heading towards your desired project it is essential that you know where you are now.
The difference, the gap, between your vision and a clear awareness of your current reality, with a systemic perspective, generates what we call creative tension.
Creative tension is the force that drives us to reduce the gap between vision and current reality. This creative tension is the essence of self-control if you know how to learn to generate and sustain it. We represent it metaphorically with the rubber band in the previous diagram.
Process of setting your priority goals
Do you know someone who never knows what they want? Who tries one thing and then leaves it for another? Who is always confused?
Is that, do you think you can hit a target if you don't know where it is?
Our goal setting process begins with you knowing exactly what you want. Your desired project. The precise and clear setting of your objectives directly influences the ability to exploit and organize your resources as well as the identification of those that are lacking, as well as the opportunities, options and alternatives for their use.
The fundamental key to achieving something is knowing exactly what we care about. If you want your mind to function effectively, on a conscious level, it is essential that you develop a prior perception of the results you want.
Surely many times you have asked yourself:
What problems will I have?
How can I solve them?
Or whose fault is it?
Why is that happening to me?
These questions focus your attention on what is wrong in the present and do not allow you to progress.
None of these questions help create or consolidate your goals.
If we want to change the present, it is not necessary to get into "the archeology of the problem." Neither blame anyone or regret it.
What works is to think about what we want. As we have just said, it is the key to building the project we want.
Priorities and their motivations
We must choose priorities based on the stimulating feelings that give us their satisfaction.
If we can find enough reasons to do something, we will have the most powerful resources to get it done. The firm decision to do something is a more powerful motivator than the goal itself.
It is much more important to know why we want something than how to get it.
Of course, we have to do what is legitimately necessary to achieve it. Earning a lot of money can be a goal. But we have to tell our brain something more precise. If we tell you that we want to earn six thousand euros a month and why, we will be much more motivated to do so.
Awareness process
The process of awareness, consciously identifying personal positioning, knowing ourselves and our environment, is essential to establish the appropriate strategies to maintain the vision, achieve and develop the objectives of our project. Much of the process of self-awareness awareness is based on this.
We are going to see it in three phases:
1st phase of identification
It is convenient to review and identify the main resources that we have: our mental states, values, beliefs, material and economic means, relationships, preparation, aptitudes, environment, availability of time… our strengths.
Also the weak points, which prevents us from achieving what we want, the resources we need.
The order is not important, it may even be that while looking for opportunities or resources, risks or needs arise and vice versa. No matter the order.
2nd evaluation phase
Once we consider that we have the inventory, we must value it. It is convenient to see what the general feelings are with respect to the prospects of achieving the objective.
3rd phase, inventory of alternatives
This phase is practically the preparation of the plan. Once we know where we are, we need to look for alternatives that will lead us to the goal.
We can start another inventory of everything we can do to improve our current position.
How can weak points be improved or changed? How can we find the resources that we lack?
To do this, it is convenient to review the inventory and see which ones can improve, how to change those that make it difficult for us to achieve the objective and, above all, with maximum flexibility to search, identify and discover new resources, actions and values that help improve the position to achieve the desired results.
We should not worry if there are few alternatives or, by making a new assessment, we are not satisfied. It is good to see that one does not have all the answers.
Selection criteria for actions in the action plan
The planning process I propose is a prototype for future plans. It is a process to achieve an automatic neurological association, like all good generative learning.
We can ask ourselves: What criteria should we use to make the selection of these actions?
Experience in modeling the plans that achieve the best results, advises selecting three to five:
Make them an attraction or a clear opportunity to achieve your goals.
That they pose a risk to achieve it.
That suppose a leverage to turn it into an opportunity. In this case it is convenient to add options and alternatives.
It is also convenient that they all be:
Logical and focused on the objective.
Feasible and verifiable: that you can realistically carry out in a suitable time frame and that you have the means to verify it.
Have the highest priority in time.
The first criterion is fundamental, it is necessary to select the actions that have more force to achieve the objective.
In the event that there are only risks, priority must be sought for options and leverage alternatives.
It is also essential that you take the initiative in all actions, that you have mastery of its implementation and the flexibility to choose options and alternatives.
Plan Design
When we already know what we want, why we want it, the resources we have and what we have to look for. When there is already an open inventory of opportunities and risks, what is decisive are the actions to achieve or replace them effectively. To guide and correct these actions, an action plan is very useful, as progressive as possible, step by step, with all the important details. The planning process we are doing is a prototype for future plans. Each follow-up is a bridge to a new plan.
It has been proven that the most successful plans are those that start with the final goal and go back to the present. Therefore, it is convenient to start with the definitive goals and go back step by step. Also, make sure the plans start with something that we can start today.
We can design an action plan in a very simple way. A list of concrete actions that we believe necessary to achieve it. The "Prototype of the design of an action plan."
How many actions should we include in the plan? As we can assume, it depends on the objective, the options, the goals and yourself. Assuming that an action plan is part of a permanent process of evaluations and reviews, which will make you progressively proactive to change, we suggest no more than five or six actions. Choose the ones that you think will help you improve your position to achieve your goal. With experience you will be able to select many more, better and, many times, without having to write them.
Starting from the inventory of opportunities and risks, we must make a list of the five or six actions that make it easier for us to attract and obtain these opportunities, eliminate or leverage risks, weak points or may find resources that we lack. This is the first action plan that will promote a reinforcing process to achieve our priority objective.
Tracing
While we are getting to know this system, if we have not been involved in it and have begun to have good results, we may have the impression that we are learning something but that everything will continue as before. We can hire a Coach, or, make efforts and assume our own control, achieve what we genuinely want or that we want what we have.
But the first thing we have to assume is that this will only happen, if we make it happen. Knowledge is not enough, we must do what we know, only continuous action attracts and obtains results. The best strategy to obtain results is perseverance with a systemic perspective.
And how to be persistent?
With the direction of our mental and emotional models. With a combination of realism and optimism. If we refuse to see the problems and risks, persistent action can lead to disaster. And, it will be worse if we only see the problems and risks. In order for you to achieve persevering mental and emotional role models, we need a systemic perspective and balance. That the problems are a minority compared to the solutions. So that we can achieve this, I propose this challenge: permanent monitoring. From it, a feedback process will emerge that can give us a continuous impulse that will make it possible to face new scenarios.
